Protection
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: When Angel was a teenager, she ran away, leaving behind an abusive family and a baby sister. Now, she, and our friends from the Alphabet City Avant Garde, must find her sister before it is too late.
1. Chapter 1

PROTECTION

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DO NOT OWN RENT.

"It's okay," she held him tightly in her arms, rocking him back in forth, trying to calm the heavy sobs sputtering out of him like puffs of gray fog from a smokestack, "Hush now, they'll hear you."

He continued to sob and she continued to rock. It was hard for her to see her big brother like this. Wasn't he supposed to be the one protecting her, not the other way around? She did not despise him for it, or even mention it. He needed her right now and she understood.

"Here," she pressed a tissue to his nose, "to stop the bleeding. It will be okay…you just can't aggravate them so much."

"I don't do it on purpose," he sobbed again, holding the tissue to his crimson nostril, staining it, "I just do not know what else to do."

"They just don't understand," she held him tighter in her arms, "They don't know why you do things like this and dress like this."

"And they think _I do_?" He snapped, "I never asked to be like this! It's just who I am!"

"I know," she planted a kiss on top of his head, "I know that. They just can't see."

"They used to love me."

"They still do," she tried to sound convincing, but her voice was lacking.

"Yeah…right. If they still loved me, would they have done this?" The accent was coming out strong and broken, peppered with Hispanic spice and a dash of his own attitude. She loved his accent, but only heard it when he was angry or upset.

"They just…" she didn't finish her sentence, she didn't know how to.

"I need to get away."

"You can't leave. They will come around…"

"When? I cannot sit around here and wait on them to see. I need to get away."

"What will I do without you?"

"You need a brother, not…me."

"You are my brother!"

"You need someone who can protect you. I can't do that, not when I can't even protect myself."

"But…"

"This is the fifth time," he said, "Five times he has beaten me for being who I am. I do not know how to be different; if I did, I would."

"Daddy just…" she stopped, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't stand sitting up in her room, listening to the screams downstairs. He didn't deserve that. No one deserved that.

"Go to bed," he ordered, standing up, pulling himself from her grasp, "You're tired."

"I don't want to."

"Look," he kissed her forehead, "I will be fine. I always am. Just get some rest, okay?"

"But…"

"Don't argue with me," he rolled his eyes, "You're so damn stubborn!"

"So are you," she shot back, and he had to admit, she had a point.

Finally, she fell back against her pillow and closed her eyes, sleep drowning her in its wistful waves. He stared at her as she slept, knowing that this was hard on her. He hated when she had to bandage him up, and he hated it when she had to be the one to hold him in his arms. He was the big brother, he was supposed to be the strong one. It was killing her, and he knew it. The leukemia wasn't making her weaker, this was.

Silently, he stuffed a pillowcase full of blankets, sheets, a towel, and lastly, a picture of them. It had been taken at her seventh birthday party. He couldn't believe that was just five years ago. With another kiss to her forehead, he grabbed his pillowcase and headed out the window.

When Isa woke up the next morning, her brother wasn't there. She hadn't really expected him to be. All that was left of him was a note:

_I need to protect you, and this is the only way I know how._

_I love you – always._

_Angel. _


	2. Chapter 2

2.

"What's that?" Collins asked, nodding towards a picture on Angel's dresser. He had never really noticed it before, considering that it was usually cluttered, but now Angel had actually bothered to clean up her knick-knacks. The picture was a bit wrinkled and worn and Collins was curious.

"Oh," Angel blinked a bit, "That was when I was a kid. That's my sister, Isa, and that right there, is me."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Collins wrapped an arm around her and waited for an answer.

"Yeah well, I don't really talk about it too much," Angel sighed, "She was basically my best friend. She was only twelve when I ran. Hard to believe that she would be about sixteen now."

Collins pulled Angel closer to him and planted a kiss upon her forehead, "Tell me about that night."

"Really?" Angel asked, "It's not sunshine and butterflies, honey."

"I don't care; it's your life and I want to know about it."

Angel sighed, knowing that Collins was just as stubborn as she was, "Fine. It was a few days after we found out that Isa was getting worse. She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was ten. Well, she was getting worse. I had come home from school with blue nail polish on my fingers and my dad wasn't too pleased. He beat me up again, the fifth time ever. I couldn't take it anymore."

"Oh, Angel…"

"It's alright, I'm alright. I left and never looked back. All I left behind was a note for Isa. I don't think she ever forgave me for leaving, but I had to. She was only twelve and she was having to bandage me up. She'd cry herself to sleep, Collins. I knew that, if I were out of the picture, life would be calmer for her and for my parents. It was what I had to do."

"Have you always been so selfless?" Collins asked, his lips brushing her shoulder blade.

"Stop it," Angel rolled her eyes, "I did what I had to do – I do what I always have to do."

"But don't you miss her?"

Angel looked up at Collins, miniature waves of tears swelling within her eyes, "Of course, every day, every second. I think about her all the time. Hell, I don't even know if she is still alive or not."

"You haven't tried to contact her?"

"It'd make things complicated. Without me, my daddy is happy, my mother is at peace, and Isa can finally have a normal family."

"But she needs you."

"She doesn't need me," Angel shook her head, "I wasn't there for her when she needed me to be there. She needs someone who is there for her."

"You can be there for her now," Collins reminded her.

"I guess."

"Do you want to find her?"

Angel bit her lower lip, and thought it over for a bit before answering, "Yes. I would give anything to see her, to hold her again. Anything at all."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow what?"

"Tomorrow we will start looking for Isa, okay?"

"You'd help me find her?" Angel asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Of course. I'd do anything for you."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"Of course," Roger nodded, setting the guitar down on her stand, "We'd love to help. Right, Mark?"

"Yeah," Mark agreed, though not really sure what they were getting themselves into. If it did turn out that Isa had died, it would crush Angel and he didn't feel like having to see Angel with a broken heart. The sight would be gut-wrenching.

"Did you use to live close by?" Collins asked, "That's a start. We could try going there."

"I-I guess," Angel bit her lower lip. She hadn't gone to the house since that night, and didn't want to relive old memories, but then again, if it meant finding Isa, it would be worth it. "it's just…I think my parents still live there. I haven't seen them in forever."

"I can go to the door and do the talking," Roger suggested, "No one would recognize me."

"Thank you," Angel smiled at him, "You're sweet."

"Bleh," Roger grimaced, "Don't go telling people that!"

Angel shook her head, "I still can't believe we are really trying to find her. You don't know how many times I have thought about doing this. I just…I hope she's alright."

"Only one way to find out," Mark wrapped the scarf around his neck, "Come on."

"Now?"

"Why not?"

The trio headed out of the loft and towards the subway. Angel could feel the butterflies swarm inside her stomach. She hoped that Isa was alright; she didn't know what she would do if she wasn't. Once they were on the subway, Collins wrapped an arm around Angel's frame.

"Angel-baby, you're shaking."

"Am not," Angel made a weak attempt at sounding stubborn.

"Are too. Talk to me."

"I am scared. What if something has happened to her?"

"At least now you will find out. And besides, we're here for you."

"Yeah," Roger nodded, "We're not going anywhere, right Marky?"

Mark just nodded, not looking up from the window. He still couldn't settle the uneasily feeling boiling inside his stomach. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this…


	4. Chapter 4

4.

"This is it," Angel nodded towards the house. It had been an hour trip on the subway, and a bit of a walk, but here it was. She stared up at the third window on the top story – her bedroom. Angel's pulse stopped.

"Do you still want me to ring the bell?" Roger asked.

"No," Angel shook her head, "I-I need to be the one to do this."

Collins grabbed on to her hand, stopping her. He pulled her against him and kissed her forehead. Angel beamed weakly up at him.

"Thank you, honey."

She walked up the porch steps, and rang the doorbell. It was either now or never. She waited for what seemed to be like a century before the door finally opened.

"Angel?"

The woman had aged a lot. Her brown hair had been cut short, and she had put on a little bit of weight. To Angel, she was beautiful.

"Mama?" Angel asked, recognizing the kind eyes, the beautiful smile, the small crucifix that hung from her neck…

"Oh, Angel!" Mrs. Shunard grabbed her and held her in her arms, "I-I can't believe it. It's been four years. My God, you're…you're beautiful."

"Mama, you don't know how much that means to me. May we come in please?"

"Of course," she laughed, "How foolish of me! Come, come!"

The door opened widened, revealing the entry way. Angel noticed that her pictures had been removed from the walls, but there were fresh ones of Isa. She looked gorgeous!

"Sit, sit," Mrs. Shunard pointed to the familiar furniture in the living room. Angel sat down on the couch, her eyes wandered towards the corner of the living room. The wall had been patched up, the blood cleaned off, and repainted. It seemed like just yesterday her head was being smashed through the sheetrock.

"I am so sorry if I hurt you, Mama," Angel said, "It's just…I had to get away. You and Isa needed a normal life and…I'm not normal. You needed me gone so that Papi would be happy again and you could live. With me here, that wouldn't be possible."

Mrs. Shunard patted at her eyes with a tissue, "Oh Angel, I am so sorry! I should have done more…I loved you baby, you know that right? It's just…I wasn't used to this – to your behavior. It was strange to me. I was too blind to see that you were my son and no matter what you wore."

"Mama, how is Isa?" Angel asked, "Please, is she well?"

"She was angry at you for leaving. The poor thing was just a child, but I suppose you were too. She cried for weeks, didn't eat, couldn't sleep. If she did sleep, she'd have these dreams and wake up in cold sweats asking for you."

Angel was crying now, tears mixing in muddy messes with her makeup. Collins held her hand and Mark looked away. Roger sat there silently, his head in his hands. Neither knew what to do. Their Angel – their rock – was breaking.

"She's alive?" Angel asked, hope peppering her voice.

"Yes. She's sixteen now, the same age you were when you left, baby. She's at school right now but should be back soon. To be honest, I don't know if she will be happy to see you. She is angry at you for leaving her. She loved you, baby."

"I know," Angel wiped away a tear, "I love her too."

"You're alright?" Mrs. Shunard finally asked.

"Yes," Angel nodded, not wanting to upset her mother further, "I am great, actually. I brought my friends with me. This is Mark, he is a filmographer. Roger is a musician. And this is Collins. Collins is my…"

"Lover," Mrs. Shunard smiled, "treat my son well, understand me?"

"Yes ma'am," Collins returned the smile, "I wouldn't dream of hurting her."

"What about my father?" Angel finally asked, "Is he well?"

"He is fine," Mrs. Shunard nodded.

"Still work for the construction company?"

"Yes. He got a promotion recently. He is now in charge of observing a team."

"Good," Angel smiled, "is he happy?"

"As happy as your father could be, I can imagine," Mrs. Shunard answered, "Angel, what you're father did to you was wrong, but understand how he felt. Now baby, I'm not condoning what he did to you, but he just didn't know what else to do."

"I still have the scars," Angel said, without batting an eye, "And every now and then, my ribs still throb from where he broke three of them that one night."

"Baby," Mrs. Shunard sighed, not really knowing what to say.

Thankfully, the front door swung open, and a young girl with long, straight black hair and big almond eyes entered. She looked like Angel, with all the makeup. Right down to the blue polish upon her fingers. That detail made Angel's heart leap.

"Isa, sugar, we have company."

"Who are they?" Isa asked, her eyes scanning the crowd and landing on Angel, "A-angel?"

"Isa," Angel smiled simply at her sister.

"Get out."

"Excuse me," Mrs. Shunard's eyes widened.

"Isa! Do not speak to your brother in such a tone!"

"I don't have a brother," Isa spat, "he died four years ago."

She stormed up the stairs and Angel sat, her mouth agape. Her mother shook her head, apologizing for her daughter's behavior.

"Let me speak with her," Angel asked, "Please? I need to talk to her."

"I don't know…"

"Mama, please?" Angel's voice was so desperate, so broken that Mrs. Shunard couldn't possibly say no. She nodded her response and Angel hopped from the couch and went up the stairs to find her sister.

Isa's bedroom door was shut and Angel could hear the sounds of things being thrown. She sighed, and knocked on the door.

"Go away!"

"Isa, it's me, sugar."

"Leave me alone!"

"I need to talk to you."

"You didn't NEED to talk to me that night you left us. A note, Angel? _Seriously_?"

The door opened and Isa stood there, her eyes red with tears, her cheeks stained with them.

"I hate you!" She screamed, "I hate you so much! I wish you really WERE dead!"

Isa reached up to hit her, but Angel caught her wrists in her hands, "Yeah well I love you!" She shouted over Isa's screams.

"I love you, Isa Shunard! There hasn't been a day that went by that I didn't think about you! I prayed every night that you were alive and that he wasn't hurting you and that you were happy."

"I wasn't," Isa yanked out of Angel's grasp. She turned away and said, unable to meet Angel's eyes or even look at her, "How could I be happy without you."

"You could have a normal life," Angel walked over towards her, "And normal parents. You could have a happy little family. You wouldn't have to grow up with a freak like me."

"Don't say that," Isa said, her voice cracking, "_Please _don't say that."

"It's what daddy thought."

"Daddy is an ass," Isa sat down on the bed, "Ange, do you think you're a freak?"

"I did. Not anymore."

"I'm glad. You're not a freak and you've never been."

"You were a baby, Isa. You were a baby and yet you had to bandage me up, you had to clean up my wounds. No little girl should have to do that for her big brother."

"Yeah well you were just a baby too," Isa looked up at Angel with sad eyes, "Daddy didn't deserve a son like you."

Angel sat down next to Isa and put her arms around her, "Baby, why does life had to be so fucked up sometimes?"

Isa smiled, "You always had a mouth on you."

"Don't go picking up my bad habits now, hear me?" Angel looked seriously at her sister before kissing her forehead, "Oh Isa, I love you so much."

"I love you too, Angel. Promise me something."

"Sure, anything."

"Don't leave me again this time."

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
